DAILY DEVOTION: "Value"

Day 24: Value

Scripture: (1 Timothy 4:8) for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Author: Zane Williams

The new year brings many of us to set resolutions, things we are resolving in ourselves to accomplish. Often these are geared towards our physical health like going on a diet or exercising more rather than our spiritual health. Paul would likely denounce our priorities: “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8, ESV). Diet and exercise are not empty pursuits; however, training in godliness pays eternal dividends.

Whether we’re talking about the pursuit of improved physical health or spiritual health, it’s a matter of discipline. We discipline ourselves to cut out certain foods or to run more, so why can’t we discipline ourselves in godliness? And what does spiritually discipline ourselves look like?

We certainly can discipline ourselves for godliness. Most studies have revealed that the average American watches 2.5 hours of television per day, and that’s the lower-end of the range. If Christians substituted their tv-watching with Bible reading, they would finish the entire Bible…in less than one month. We might say we don’t watch that much television, but perhaps it’s Facebook or social media in general. The excuse of not having enough time for communing with God through His Word does not have any merit.

Let us commit to spending more time in the Bible this new year! It is far more rewarding and beneficial than weight loss and exercise after all. Of course, let’s not just be merely hearers only, so we need to pray for the Spirit to renew and transform us (Romans 12:1) so that we can apply what we read. Let’s keep each other accountable about being men who are hungry for God’s Word and prayer.